Dragon Gate USA
Dragon Gate USA is the sister promotion to Dragon Gate and is based primarily in the United States. It is developed as part of a continuing effort by Dragon Gate to expand outside of Japan and into other countries. Shows are generally run one weekend roughly every two months with the majority of them airing on pay-per-view or internet pay-per-view. Overview History On September 5 and 6, 2008, Dragon Gate ran a pair of shows in the United States, the first in Bell Gardens, California and the second in Waikiki, Hawaii. Based off the success of both shows, discussions were made internally to establish a sister promotion based in America. During a show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan on April 14, 2009, Dragon Gate President Takashi Okamura announced the creation of Dragon Gate USA. Within a matter of days, Dragon Gate further announced that Satoshi Oji would serve as the DGUSA President, former Ring of Honor booker Gabe Sapolsky would be Vice President, and Full Impact Pro owner Sal Hamaoui would be Chief Operating Officer. In June, it was announced that Dragon Gate USA would be airing their shows on pay-per-view through G-Funk Sports and Entertainment, who had just ended business relations with Ring of Honor. The first show entitled "Open The Historic Gate" took place on July 25, 2009 at the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of the matches would then air on pay-per-view as "Enter The Dragon" beginning September 4, 2009. The show received a great deal of acclaim and was awarded Best Major Show of 2009 by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. DGUSA would introduce their own championships to be recognized both in its own promotion and Dragon Gate. The first, the Open The Freedom Gate Championship, was crowned on November 28, 2009 in a one-night tournament won by BxB Hulk. The second, the Open The United Gate Championship, was crowned during a three-night round robin tournament that ended on January 30, 2011 and won by Masato Yoshino and PAC. Both championships have since been defended at least once in Japan whereas Open The Dream Gate and Open The Brave Gate have been defended in DGUSA shows. While DGUSA would be the primary showcase for Dragon Gate talent in the United States, the promotion itself would also establish young, up-and-coming independent talent. If a wrestler manages to perk the interest of officials in Japan, they will book him on a tour across the Pacific in the main promotion as a means of their desire for DGUSA to succeed and as an additional source for developing new talent. Those who have been booked to date are Ricochet, Brodie Lee, Rich Swann, Chuck Taylor, Johnny Gargano, AR Fox, Uhaa Nation, and Larry Dallas. EVOLVE Wrestling EVOLVE Wrestling was established in late 2009 by Gabe Sapolsky and Sal Hamaoui, along with Davey Richards. It originally operated as an independent promotion with no association with DGUSA. This changed on November 25, 2011, when it was announced that EVOLVE would be absorbed into DGUSA. EVOLVE will still run independently, but will also serve as a launching pad for talent to eventually appear in DGUSA. Furthermore, both DGUSA championships will be recognized as the top championships in EVOLVE. This was solidified on January 14, 2012 with the first defense of the Open The Freedom Gate Championship in the promotion. The Open The United Gate Championship has yet to be defended in the promotion. EVOLVE has a stronger emphasis on rules as well as the win-loss records for individual wrestlers and tag teams. By winning more matches and staying to the rules, wrestlers will be able to move up on the card as well as earn title shots and bookings in DGUSA. Roster Championships Events * Open The Historic Gate * Enter The Dragon * Untouchable * EVOLVE Events Category:Promotions